Charlie Avara, director, All Done, is advocating for female construction talent to be nurtured within the industry as women are a vital cog in the sector, but how can we break the bias?
As International Women’s Day (IWD) rolls around again, it is our annual reminder to step back and look at the roles of women in our society. This year’s IWD theme is #BreakTheBias – a theme that is extremely close to my heart as a woman who has built a career and continues to grow a business, within the construction sector.
The aim of IWD is to drive the realisation of “a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.”(1)
Pockets of the construction sector have been actively trying to attract women for many years, but there is still a way to go. The latest research from Women into Construction summarises the situation as follows: “Women represent around 11% of the workforce in the construction sector and as little as 1% of the manual trades. There appears to be little concern in large parts of the industry about this low level of female employment, and only modest attempts to remedy it.”(2)
But women are vital to our sector and nurturing female talent must be a priority for our industry. After all, what can be the benefit to the sector if half of our workforce can’t see a future in the industry?
The skills shortage is never far from anyone in the construction sector’s mind, particularly those of us running businesses that rely on highly skilled professionals. Not only has this issue been rumbling on for several years, but it is also becoming a growing concern as the industry faces an ageing workforce. It is more vital than ever that our sector begins to shake these negative stereotypes.
Whether we are aware of it or not the construction industry is intrinsically woven into all our lives. From the homes, we live in and how we travel to work, to where we spend our free time, the construction industry has contributed to all our lives. Couple this with the huge contribution that construction makes to the UK economy and it becomes all the more imperative that construction is representative of the society that it serves.
Women represent 11% of the construction workforce
While the number of women working in the construction sector has been increasing it is not happening fast enough. Women currently represent just under half of the UK workforce, which is hugely misaligned with the 11% that they represent in the construction sector. And whilst this number is growing, the construction sector remains a male-dominated one with one of the worst gender balances in the UK.
With women accounting for as few as 1% of the manual trades we should be alarmed. If we hope to see more women working in senior, leadership and board roles in the future we need to ensure that we are attracting talent from grassroots roles, allowing them to gain the skills and experience that will shape the ongoing prosperity of construction. We need to shake the stereotype that women in the construction industry traditionally fill desk-based roles such as administration, design or management. This is a foundation from which we can build, but we must ensure that women are empowered to take on roles as varied as the sector.
Once you scratch beneath the surface it is clear that more women need to enter the construction sector if we are going to achieve gender balance. But this will also be vital to closing the skills gap. The Government has committed to large scale infrastructure and social housing projects in the coming years. If we can’t find and mobilise, the workforce to complete these projects it will not only be detrimental to society but will also adversely affect the economy. The goal for the construction industry must be to create an environment in which construction is seen as a practical and fulfilling career for women.
However, it is far from all doom and gloom. The construction industry has so much going for it and I firmly believe that we need to shout from the rooftops about the variety of careers that the sector can offer.
Take me for example, I was adamant that my dream job was working in TV, but soon after landing exactly that role working on a docuseries in LA I realised that it didn’t make me happy. When asked by a friend to describe what I wanted from a role I said ‘it would have to be project-based, not a nine to five, or stuck in an office, it had to involve working with clients and have an element of sales too and must be creative’. He offered me a role as Project Manager in his business and in my thirties, I took up my first role in construction. From here there was no looking back and today I am lucky enough to run my own business All Done Design.
If you are practical and love to be hands-on, then a job ‘on the tools’ could be perfect for you. If you are technically minded, you might find engineering lights you up. Project Management is ideal if you enjoy working with people and being across multiple disciplines. This wide variety of options means that it really is time to shake the stereotype that careers in construction are only manual labour. Modern construction techniques are increasingly making this a thing of the past. In addition, a career in construction could see women taking up roles in landmark projects. There is nothing stopping women from being the driving force behind the construction of key rail networks, or first of their kind projects such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel development.
Bringing women into the sector isn’t simply about bumping up the numbers though. We need our industry to be representative of the society that is serves. To ensure the future success of the industry we need diverse thinking, approaches and attitudes.
So, the question is…
How do we attract new talent whilst retaining the women already working in the sector?
To do this we need to identify the blocks that are stopping women from taking up careers in construction.
Top of that list is stereotypes. Stereotypes are rarely helpful wherever we come across them, but the damage that they have and continue to do in the construction industry is undeniable. They often mean that a career in construction isn’t even on the table for most young girls. And if our industry doesn’t even make the ‘long-list’ how can we possibly hope to be attracting fresh talent. If young girls aren’t exposed to the possibility of a career in construction and don’t see it as a sector in which they can thrive, we are limiting the uptake to the few that are willing to go against the grain.
There is also the persistent myth that construction is still driven by ‘the old boy’s club’. The misconception that the sector has outdated views and women don’t belong is so damaging for our sector. I can hand on heart say that this is not my experience of construction. But we need women to speak up so that young girls hear that construction is a space for them and we need our male colleagues to advocate for women too.
We need to showcase women thriving in construction, after all, seeing is believing. From industry leaders’ right through to those teaching construction courses in colleges we need girls to see women carving out careers in the sector. The building site needs to be seen as just as viable an option for girls as it is for boys so that we build the confidence of the next generation.
We also need to ensure that construction can offer career progression and long-term fulfilling roles for women. From obvious considerations such as attractive maternity packages to flex around family and life changes such as menopause, the sector needs to get to grips with supporting women throughout their lives, whilst ensuring that these things do not become a barrier to career development.
As someone who has carved out a career in construction, I can say without hesitation that our sector has so much to offer to women. It is not all about masculine traits. Intuition, empathy and diligence are just as important. And if we combine them with typically male traits of assertiveness and competitiveness, the industry will soon be home to some outstanding teams. After all, the best results will be achieved from well-rounded teams that bring complete skill sets.
So, this IWD lets come together as an industry to #BreakTheBias. It is down to each and every one of us working in the sector to showcase all that it has to offer and to nurture the talent within the industry. There is no time to waste on this. With the skills gap widening and the sector ageing, we must work collaboratively on solutions and ensure the sector that we love can thrive.
References
(1) https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme
